‘"I have to be able to get these guys the puck," Niedermayer said of Vanek and Ennis. "They’re both creative players offensively. You lose a guy like Derek who has been so consistent, it’s up to you be big and take the responsibility for everyone."’

‘Jeanneret said one big adjustment he’ll have to make is working with an analyst. Harry Neale will be on the air with him but most AHL broadcasters work games alone. "That’s going to be a little different," he said. "I’ll defer to the expertise and let them call things the way they see it. For two games, I don’t think I will change much other than knowing I’ll shut up more often than I do [in Portland]."’

‘"I remember a lot of details about this place," Krupp said before Germany’s game against Slovakia on Monday night at HSBC Arena. "I remember some of the other places, too, but Buffalo was special because it was so fresh and different for me."’

‘”But I’m having a good time in Buffalo. It’s a good family city for my wife, my kids and myself. A good hockey town. Of course it’s not as crazy as here, but it’s been a good transition to finally settle down, buy a home, put the kids in school and know they’re going to be there for a little bit. It’s comfortable, and that makes it easier to play.”‘

‘”We got the lead and the next 40 minutes, some poor decisions on our part,” said Buffalo forward Jochen Hecht. “We turned the puck over, they go the other way. We gave up 2-on-1’s, 2-on-2’s. We got lucky they were only up 2-1 after two.”‘

‘The Flames only had six shots in the first period, getting off to a rusty start in their first game in four days. “It was probably a little bit slow on both sides. To their credit, they came out and won the first period,” Iginla said. But it was almost all Calgary after that.’

‘"Derek was certainly at the forefront of our offense," Regier said. "It’s obviously a loss and a hole in the lineup, there’s no question. For the club, it’s an opportunity for others to step forward and we’ll need them to step forward."’

‘"Specifically, we haven’t started games the way we want to," said Myers. "Our last game was an example of how we sit back at the start of the game, wait and see, then we come out in the second and third with probably our best two periods of the year . . . it goes to show you that you have to play a full 60 if you want to win hockey games."’

‘“Coming into this year, I’ll admit I was feeling a lot of pressure,” he said. “Last year, I set the bar so high and felt a lot of pressure trying to match that bar coming into this season. As of late, I feel more than comfortable with my game. The last 10 games, I feel I’ve played like I did last year and I’m trying to exceed that now. Just trying to stay consistent.”’

‘He’s more likely to spend months evaluating the organization — you know, a real evaluation — and getting the right people in place. Sources have said repeatedly that Pegula is an intelligent, humble man with great vision, so it’s hard to fathom him showing up the first day with a pocket full of pink slips. That said, changes are coming.’

‘That’s because one of their own, Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, opened up his house to the Canadian Under-20 team Friday so that they could bond by spreading some holiday cheer, enjoying fine dining, engaging in competitive fun by playing video games, ping pong and bubble hockey and exchanging gifts.’